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'Tis Me Lucky Green Drawers!

I've always loved St. Patrick's Day. Maybe it's the fact that I get to wear green shamelessly. I love green. Or just the subtle fun of the holiday. It's not over-the-top for decor or gift giving or plan-ahead type of celebration. At least it's never been in our families. It's just like a bonus day, with a lot of tradition and fun wrapped around it.

One thing that has always been more or less a child's myth to me is the pot of gold to be found on St. Paddy's Day. This year, however, I've been proven wrong. There really is gold to be had. I had no idea.

Today was Day Before Pay Day, which means I take inventory of our bills and set up payments to go out for the morning when the paycheck will be deposited. I discovered a few interesting bonuses that translated directly into gold.

1. The electric bill has an $18 credit on our account. They're telling me that I paid twice last month. And by twice, it would be twice plus $18. I'm not arguing with them. If that's what their records show, my records will show it as well. This is HUGE, because while $18 isn't much by any standard, the lack of a $100 electric bill this month is astronomical.

Gold.

2. The credit card that I paid off last month shows a balance of $1330, with a $3070 pending payment. Do the math. That means I'll be getting a check back in the amount of I'LL TAKE IT! I have many, many questions about this, including "who put me in charge of finances again?" That overpayment will be sa-weet indeed when the check shows up in my mailbox as promised.

Gold.

3. The company installing the natural gas pipeline in our field this summer proposed cutting down trees a few months early to make way. In lieu of compensation, they were willing to pay us for the inconvenience. (I'm questioning what the inconvenience is. The trees will be cut down regardless.) The cost of being inconvenienced has 3 zeroes.

Entire pot of gold.

I've always heard that wearing green on St. Patrick's Day is lucky, but only if you wore it without planning and forethought. It has to be random to be lucky. This morning, I put on green undies, and it was mid morning before I realized that it was even St. Patrick's Day.

Dear Future Me:

Green underwear are very, very lucky. You may want to buy ONLY green underwear in future, that way you'll be assured of putting it on randomly and accidentally on future St. Patrick's Days.